One Last Sunset
by Ael L. Bolt
Summary: Ash knows what the horribly mean Ashbashing fans think of him. He knows they all hate him, and searches for a way to end his pain. cd


Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine. This story plotline is mine, if anyone copies it I will sic Mechavian on them. Not for young kids, deals with suicide, alchohol, and guns.  
  
  
  
  
Ash stood on the cliff, taking one last look at the sunset. In his hands was the pistol he had swiped from Team Rocket. His friends were back at his house, some thousand yards away. A forgotten, empty bottle of alchohol lay on the grass next to him. Teardrops stained the ground around it.  
  
Tears sprang to Ash's eyes as he looked at the gun. He was a failure. No one liked him. They all said he was stupid, so it must be true. He had thought he was helping people and becoming a stronger trainer, but since everyone said he was stupid then it must be true. They said he was dense, irresponsible person, so that had to be the truth.  
  
Ash lifted the gun to his forehead, his hands trembling. He swallowed choked cries of despair, finger tightening on the trigger. He had to do this. No one cared. Everyone...EVERYONE made fun of him. And all the things they said were true...  
  
He was ugly.  
  
He was stupid.  
  
He would never be good at anything.  
  
He was idiot enough to release all his "good" Pokémon.  
  
The cool metal dug a small circle in the skin of Ash's face, tears flowing freely now. One shot and it would all be over. All he had to do was pull the trigger...  
  
"PIKAPI!"  
  
Ash, startled, spun around and lowered the gun a little. Pikachu stood a few feet away, emotional pain visible in its eyes. [Ash, don't do this,] it pleaded. [Please...drop the gun.]  
  
Ash shook his head furiously, whipping the gun up to rest on the spot right above his ear. He sobbed silently. "Go away Pikachu...I don't want you to see this." He was appalled at how shaky his voice was.  
  
[Ash...my pikapi...please, don't...]  
  
'Why? Why should I? No one's ever cared about me before. I'm stupid. I'm an idiot. I'm a total failure.'  
  
"I have to..."  
  
[Why?] Pikachu asked, concern evident in its voice...  
  
'No, it only wants me to THINK its concerned,' Ash thought desperately. 'But everyone hates Pikachu too, saying its a horrible no-good, overrated Pokémon...'  
  
"I...I can't tell you," Ash choked out. "You should know yourself..."  
  
Pikachu saw the empty bottle on the ground, and its eyes widened. [Pikapi, you're not thinking clearly. Put the gun away and come back to the house, and we'll get you right again.]  
  
Ash just couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger on himself in front of Pikachu. Besides, his hand was shaking too badly. "Why should I?" he cried. "I'm a failure...no one cares about me..."  
  
Pikachu saddened at that. [That's not true...]  
  
"YES IT IS! Don't you see? Everyone says I'm stupid! Everyone says I'll never be anyone special!" Ash yelled. "And if everyone says that, it must be true! Don't you get it? I have to end this horrible empty feeling I have inside of me before something horrible happens!" He knew he was screaming his guts out at the Pokémon, but his alchohol-muddled brain didn't care. He pressed the pistol into his head, hard. "Goodbye, Pikachu," he said, somehow finding the strength to tighten his finger on the trigger the rest of the way.  
  
[PIKAPI, NO!]  
  
The shot echoed through the forest as Misty and Brock arrived, only to find a sobbing Pikachu holding the strangely peaceful form of Ash. The gun was still gripped against his head, but the look on his face was one of serenity. And looking very oddly out of place, the suicided trainer was smiling. It looked almost like he would sit up at any moment and yell, "Fooled ya!"  
  
But that would never happen.  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: Depressing, ain't it? Sorry, I was feeling angsty today. Everyone seems to hate Ash and want him dead, saying he's stupid and irresponsible. Why? All he wants to do is help people and Pokémon. He doesn't really care about using his Pokémon to beat each other to death, he only wants them to be happy and if that means letting them go then so be it. He isn't greedy, wanting a lot of Pokémon like some people. He tries to avoid letting people or Pokémon get hurt. SO WHY DO YOU ALL THINK HE'S STUPID?!  
  
If anyone wants a sequal to this (that is NOT about the funeral and all that boring sentimental crap), please let me know. I've already got an idea...and no, Ash will NOT come back from the dead. Please don't flame me for this if you like Ash. I like him too, but I'm trying to let anti-Ash people see things our way. And if you think Ash wouldn't suicide just because people don't like him, think about the fact that he was drunk and depressed at the time, AND had easy access to a gun. People have suicided over lesser things. 


End file.
